[X] My Assistant

[Aerospider]

Centering Focus Force 50 (Hm... can someone please proof to me that it is impossible to make something like that? But as the rules tell me a easy-peasy 2500 hits, 1 day extended tests and ONE karma point will yield me such a monster)

It may be theoretically possible but even if someone offered me such an item for free I'd probably have to kill them, cover my tracks and escape the vicinity so that nobody could ever have known I was ever even slightly associated with such a terrible artefact.

Force 50?? He'd be an astral beacon visible from across the continent and would attract every kind of attention from everyone. Megacorps, spirits, magical groups, criminal syndicates, dual-natured threats, anyone and anything with astral perception would hound the bearer and most of them wouldn't care much about shredding him to pieces over it (especially when they notice he's infected). His neighbourhood would become an astral warzone.

Even if you don't agree with that, I would hold in very low regard the GM who didn't think wielding such a godly concentration of mana would blow the guy's brains wide open, or drive him helplessly insane at the very least.

Me, I'd consider any focus over force 12 to be more liability than tool, possibly lower ratings too.

[Cheops]

Did anybody mention Drugs yet? There are a couple that add to drain stats. Zen springs to mind.

[Neurosis]

No offense, Summerstorm, but I feel stupider just for having read that.

[Summerstorm]

No offense, Summerstorm, but I feel stupider just for having read that.

Yeah, sorry *g*

Even if you don't agree with that, I would hold in very low regard the GM who didn't think wielding such a godly concentration of mana would blow the guy's brains wide open, or drive him helplessly insane at the very least.

Oh, i totally agree. Highest focus i ever gave out was a power focus 4 (with some additional effects). It was classified as a minor artifact, addictive and had POTENTIAL to do some VERY bad stuff. My player decided to crush it for orichalcum components and be done with it. (Feared the implied negative effects.)

If there is somebody running around with a force 6-12 karma intensive focus he is already a high-priority target. Over that i would rule, like you said, some "astral beacon" rule. Attracting shadow spirits, shedim and other stuff occasional. You cannot perfectly mask it ALL the time, eh?


I just wrote at the possibility of insane-force foci to point out that they should be limited by user magic rating (not just in bulk, but per focus). OR to make their construction more expensive (I know there is the rule of getting exotic ingredients). But make it Karma-intensive too.

[Pat]

Hmmm, I was reading something to that effect Just last night. 4A core book. not only is the total force of all foci bound to you limited by (magicX5) meaning to have it bound you need to have a 10 magic rating. but if I am remembering correctly, the total force of foci that you can have active at once is limited to (magicX2). So while binding it requires a magic rating of 10 (not a totally absurd rating in a long running game), but to have it active, you would need a magic rating of 25. which is slightly more of a crazy number.
also, if I remember correctly the technical wording of the essence drain (and subsequent burning of temp essence for magic) it actually says that you get extra magic dice to roll, not extra magic rating. though my memory is much more hazy on that one. I, at least, would make those foci limits based on permanent, karma bought magic traits, not temporary, stolen/borrowed/augmented, traits.


Oh, and that isn't even mentioning the karma cost of binding a force 50 foci. The least expensive type is a hefty (rating X 2) 100 karma if I remember correctly.

[Sesix]

3) Digital Grimoire, page 14. +4 drain dice, causes a permanent loss of a box of Physical health as long as it's attached (can't be healed), 500 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) , 10F.

Which book?

[KarmaInferno]

Digital Grimoire




-k

[Ranarion]

The juice from a special Tree (from War) can get you 1p drain less, everytime you use a focus thats combined with 1 dose of that reagenz.

Just put that stuff into your power focus and get 1physical drain less everytime you overcast.

[Draco18s]

The juice from a special Tree (from War) can get you 1p drain less, everytime you use a focus thats combined with 1 dose of that reagenz.

Just put that stuff into your power focus and get 1physical drain less everytime you overcast.

Now that's just power creep. ¬.¬

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

The easiest way I know is go a Logic tradition, get Cerebral Boosters and a Pain Editor (Boosts Willpower at expense of Intuition). Sure, you're losing a point of Magic, but for 3 or 4 more drain dice, I'd say it's worth it. Then grab up Centering as soon as possible, along with a Centering focus.

Can't spirits help with Drain, too?

An ALLY Spirit can take Drain for its Magician... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

[Ranarion]

NExt ingredient add 1 point of Force to all Combat-spells. You caste a Force 7 Stunbolt, take the drain for a force 7 stunbolt, but it does damage like a force 8 stunbolt

[Draco18s]

NExt ingredient add 1 point of Force to all Combat-spells. You caste a Force 7 Stunbolt, take the drain for a force 7 stunbolt, but it does damage like a force 8 stunbolt

And if you're ignoring 1P of drain, you don't even need to roll.

F7 / 2 -1 -1 leaves you with 1P worth of drain. I mean, really. Why roll?

[Ranarion]

And if you're ignoring 1P of drain, you don't even need to roll.

F7 / 2 -1 -1 leaves you with 1P worth of drain. I mean, really. Why roll?

Where does that second -1 comes from?

Just checked that.. This increase does not apply
to any combat spell that does stun damage.

SO no stunbolt, just mana-bolt

[Mäx]

A)Where does that second -1 comes from?

B)Just checked that.. This increase does not apply
to any combat spell that does stun damage.

A)The first -1 is part of the stunbolts normal drain code (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
B) where do you get this, all it says is
"When used in enchanting, any focus treated
with the Drago materials that are used in a way (such as
a spell) that causes drain on a body reduces the amount
of the Drain the character has to soak by a –1."
So it doesn't even have to be P Drain, works just as well for S drain.

So know we just have to convince our GM:s that all of our foci are made using sangre dell drago ass one of the incrediants (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Ranarion]

I got it from the german Translation.

And "Damage to the body" is phsyical to me.. you know, cause "Physical track" is made of "8 + Body/2"

[pbangarth]

The best bang for your buck, though it isn't strictly increasing your Drain pool but rather decreasing the Drain, is the Absorption metamagic.

For every point of Force you absorb, you can reduce the Drain of a subsequent spell by one. This is equivalent to the expected effect of three dice in the pool, but without the chance of failure (and, yes, also without the chance of three hits). A magician with a Magic of 6 could Absorb 6 points of Force, and reduce Drain by 6, thereby having the equivalent average effect of 18 dice. What is left, then, can be dealt with using the regular Drain pool.

Or, within the time limit of the metamagic, spread out those points on more than one spell.

Now, Absorption is an advanced metamagic, requiring Shielding first, so it isn't easy to get. But it is Rule of Cool to suck in an opponent's spell and then nail his whole team with a Napalm spell, and not even get a nosebleed.

[Dakka Dakka]

Absorption Metamagic and Leeching Metamagic also. Aspected Backround Count.

Drain Pact.

I get the others, but how does Aspected Backgorund Count affect drain? If you have the right tradition all it does is give you bonus dice to your Magic Attibute. Magic is not used for drain resistance.

[Glyph]

Isn't there one mentor spirit who instead of giving bonuses to spells and spirits instead gives a +1 or +2 to all drain tests?

Not unless it's in Digital Grimoire (which I don't have). The Bear mentor spirit, maybe, if you rule that "+2 to resist physical damage" applies to overcasting.

[Glyph]

I get the others, but how does Aspected Backgorund Count affect drain? If you have the right tradition all it does is give you bonus dice to your Magic Attibute. Magic is not used for drain resistance.

From pg. 119 of Street Magic: "Instead, the Awakened character receives a dice pool bonus for any Magical skill tests and Drain Resistance Tests performed in the domain's area of influence..."

[Ranarion]

Forget it.

[Dakka Dakka]

Woops I forgot that.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Not unless it's in Digital Grimoire (which I don't have). The Bear mentor spirit, maybe, if you rule that "+2 to resist physical damage" applies to overcasting.

I would apply the Bear's Ability to Resisting Drain, just as I would Apply Dark King's Drawback to resisting Drain. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)